Paul Monies10:01 a.m.We've already got a few questions ready in the queue.

Harry S.10:01 a.m.I see a lot of stuff about Chesapeake Energy in Ohio. Why are they there and how could it impact the country?

Jay F. Marks10:03 a.m.Chesapeake discovered the Utica Shale there several years ago.

Jay F. Marks10:03 a.m.That has led to a number of drillers establishing operations in the state in search of oil and natural gas

Jay F. Marks10:04 a.m.CHK remains the largest and most experienced operator in the play, drilling more than 450 wells.

Jay F. Marks10:05 a.m.The impact is in the eye of the beholder. Some folks will make money from leases or new industry jobs, while others will complain about the increased industrial activity.

stacie10:06 a.m.Why don't you stop injecting waste water now? You are putting Oklahoman's at risk.

Adam Wilmoth10:07 a.m.Companies have been injecting waste water since the industry began. The average oil well in Oklahoma produces 10 times more water than oil, and the water tends to be three to five times saltier than the ocean.

Jay F. Marks10:08 a.m.I assume you are talking about earthquakes putting us at risk, but I am not aware of any injuries caused by the state's increased seismic activity.

Jay F. Marks10:10 a.m.If companies stop using injection wells, they will probably have to turn to more expensive procedures to clean up the water so it can be re-used. That would probably drive up the cost of oil and natural gas, making things tougher for consumers.

Adam Wilmoth10:10 a.m.There have been a few studies connecting saltwater injection wells with earthquakes in Ohio and one study that connected an injection well to the 5.3 earthquake two years ago. But the Oklahoma Geological Survey and others say they cannot yet make that connection.

stacie10:11 a.m.Are you waiting until people get hurt or die? We just broke a record for earthquakes and they are getting stronger. There is a link between injection wells and quakes.

Aubrey10:11 a.m.there may not be any injuries, but are they causing any damages, or what happens when the first earthquake does cause an injury or a death?

Adam Wilmoth10:12 a.m.Oklahoma has more than 10,000 injection wells throughout the state. Injection wells have been active in the state since before statehood. While injection volumes have ramped up over the past few years, operators are still injecting less water now than they did in the 1980s or 1930s.

KYLE10:12 a.m.Fracking/ Earthquake Question: Haven't we been fracking for 70+ years? And most of the earthquakes start 3-6 miles deep, no wells are being drilled that deep??

Adam Wilmoth10:14 a.m.Having said all that, operators are injecting larger volumes in a few new area, including the Mississippi Lime in northern Oklahoma. Some of those wells are producing 20 times more water than oil. SandRidge has built the largest saltwater disposal system in the country. The company is working with the Oklahoma Geological Survey and the Oklahoma Corporation Commission to find the best site and pressure for each well.

Jay F. Marks10:14 a.m.The industry has been working with regulators/scientists to determine if there is a definitive link. If that is proven, I'd imagine new regulations will be created to reduce the risk of triggering seismic activity.

Adam Wilmoth10:15 a.m.The OGS also has installed seismic monitors throughout the state to help better determine whether injection wells are contributing to or causing the earthquakes.

Paul Monies10:15 a.m.Regulators also effectively told an operator in southern Oklahoma that continuing to inject in that area could lead to earthquakes.

Aubrey10:17 a.m.speaking of waste water injection wells.....who is leading the way as far as new innovations for disposing of waste water without injection wells...where do you see this issue in 5 yrs?

Adam Wilmoth10:20 a.m.Several of the larger companies are looking at ways to reuse the saltwater in fracking. The companies can remove some of the salt and use it, but the process is expensive. I think you'll see more recycling and reuse of water in the future, but at 10 to 1 or up to 20 to 1, there will still be a need for disposal.

stacie10:20 a.m.You know there is a connection and so does OGS. Be responsible and stop injecting waste water before it is to late and people get hurt.

KYLE10:20 a.m.I would also have to say that Hydraulic Fracking has done a lot more good for Oklahoma as well as the USA than a couple pictures falling off the wall.

stacie10:20 a.m.Why don't you spend more money and clean the waste water? It would be less expense to clean the waste water then having to pay for all the damage from a devastating earthquake.

jim10:21 a.m.Out of curiosity, I'd be interested in seeing a map overlay of where the earthquakes are occurring with where the waste water injection sites are. It would be an interesting graphic, and may/may not illustrate a correlation.

Adam Wilmoth10:22 a.m.The state has more than 10,000 injection wells that cover everywhere except a few counties in the southeast corner of the state.

Adam Wilmoth10:24 a.m.Many of the recent earthquakes have been centered around Oklahoma, Logan and Payne counties.

Paul Monies10:24 a.m.Any more questions on earthquakes, disposal wells before we move on?

Dan10:25 a.m.Why have these methods been disallowed in other states and yet Oklahoma continues? Did they just arbitrarily regulate this or are we ignoring their data and reasoning?

Adam Wilmoth10:25 a.m.Disposal wells are a common practice throughout the country.

Jay F. Marks10:25 a.m.Nothing has been disallowed in other states, other than a few isolated communities in Colorado that banned fracking.

Jay F. Marks10:26 a.m.Operators routinely rely on disposal wells to put flowback water back into the ground.

Adam Wilmoth10:26 a.m.At least one well was shut down in Ohio when it was connected to earthquakes. The well in Oklahoma that is being studied for a possible connection also has been shut in.

Suzie10:27 a.m.How much of the oil and gas produced in Oklahoma is used in Oklahoma or surrounding states?

Jay F. Marks10:27 a.m.Last I heard, most of Oklahoma's natural gas was used outside of the state.

Jay F. Marks10:28 a.m.Oklahoma is not a large oil-producing state.

Adam Wilmoth10:28 a.m.Most of it is exported. That's part of the reason why state and industry leaders have made such a push in recent years for increasing the use of compressed natural gas as a vehicle fuel.

Paul Monies10:32 a.m.[We've got a few questions in the queue. Please be patient, we'll try to get to them.]

Adam Wilmoth10:34 a.m.There is active drilling in the area, but much of it has been overshadowed by the success others have had in nearby areas, including the Anadarko Basin in western Oklahoma and the SCOOP and STACK in south central Oklahoma.

Jay F. Marks10:36 a.m.I'm not too familiar with that region, in extreme southwest Oklahoma, but in 2009 the Oklahoma Geological Society noted that GLB Exploration was testing the state's first horizontal well in the Barnett Shale in Jackson County.

Jay F. Marks10:36 a.m.I guess the results weren't as economic as hoped because that area hasn't been talked about by major players as other parts of the state.

shad10:37 a.m.Any news on midstream infrastructure ramping up in the state. If so who are the players and where will these projects be built?

Jay F. Marks10:37 a.m.Oklahoma's infrastructure needs aren't as great as in some other states because of its history with the industry.

Adam Wilmoth10:37 a.m.Anywhere there is new or expanded drilling, midstream infrastructure is needed to support it.

Jay F. Marks10:39 a.m.There are some additional pipelines being built or augmented to help get more oil to Cushing, which is finally seeing its glut of crude disperse thanks to the southern leg of the Keystone XL pipeline.

Adam Wilmoth10:40 a.m.Several Oklahoma produces recently have spun off their midstream businesses into separate companies, and several other master limited partnerships are active throughout the state.

Jay F. Marks10:40 a.m.The biggest new line coming into Cushing is Enbridge's Flanagan South pipeline, which will move 600,000 barrels a day from Pontiac, Ill.

Mike10:41 a.m.Can you talk about job opportunities in the energy industry? What positions should people with business based degrees look for? What job opportunities exist for people without college degrees? I often here about people from other states moving here to become division order analyst, wire line operators, landmen etc but most energy companies say experience required. Are there companies that routinely hire people without experience.

Jay F. Marks10:42 a.m.The industry offers a wealth of opportunities, but I think the options for those without degrees are likely limited.

Adam Wilmoth10:42 a.m.Energy companies are still looking to fill jobs throughout their operations.

Jay F. Marks10:42 a.m.So much of the industry is getting mechanized that muscle is no longer the only prerequisite for field workers.

Jay F. Marks10:43 a.m.I had a drilling company executive tell me that such workers used to be hired based on their attributes from the neck down, i.e. their ability to handle the physical demands of the job. Now they're looking from the neck up, for people with the intellectual ability to understand and operate complex machinery.

Adam Wilmoth10:44 a.m.My understanding is that companies are still desperate for workers in the field. In some parts of the state, almost anyone who can pass a drug test can get a job in the energy industry.

Jay F. Marks10:45 a.m.There also are opportunities for people with degrees in various roles in the industry, as companies deal with the business side of producing, transporting and processing their products.

Robert10:46 a.m.What's the status on Keystone, and how are things going on our end here in Oklahoma?

Jay F. Marks10:46 a.m.Keystone XL is still in limbo, awaiting a decision from the Obama administration.

Jay F. Marks10:46 a.m.The Oklahoma part of the project, and its predecessor, is already up and running.

Jay F. Marks10:47 a.m.The only thing that would change here if KXL is approved is the construction of some additional pump stations to help move oil across the country.

Harry S.10:48 a.m.With all the different oil and gas fields in the U.S., is Oklahoma's fields at risk for being left in the dust? The Northeast, Louisiana, Midwest …

Jay F. Marks10:48 a.m.I think that is unlikely.

Jay F. Marks10:49 a.m.Companies that are active in Oklahoma are looking to reduce costs to keep state fields in operation.

Adam Wilmoth10:49 a.m.The leading fields today are the Bakken in North Dakota, the Eagle Ford and Permian in Texas and the Marcellus in the Pennsylvania area. Oklahoma's fields are not as big as those, but the state is still important in the industry.

Adam Wilmoth10:51 a.m.For example, SandRidge is drilling wells in the Mississippian for less than $3 million a well, while wells in other parts of the country easily top $10 million. At that rate, the well doesn't have to be as big as a Bakken well to be profitable.

Jay F. Marks10:57 a.m.The process of breaking up tight rocks formations to release oil and natural gas has not been linked to any earthquakes. It is the disposal of waste and flowback water that some have linked to the state's rise in seismic activity.

Jay F. Marks10:58 a.m.As Adam noted earlier, companies have worked with regulators and the Oklahoma Geological Society to place disposal wells away from faults and other volatile areas.

Adam Wilmoth10:58 a.m.The Corporation Commission recently proposed new rules that would require more monitoring and reporting of injection wells. Many of the larger operators, including SandRidge, have said they already meet the tougher reporting standards.

Paul Monies10:58 a.m.Still, a lot of people out there use the term "fracking" as a catch-all term for all energy activity. There's certainly a disconnect between how the industry uses these terms and the general public.

Adam Wilmoth10:59 a.m.The new rules would require injection well operators to monitor pressure and other information daily and report it to the corporation commission and Oklahoma Geological Survey as requested.

Jay F. Marks11:00 a.m.Most companies already monitor their wells on a regular basis. The new rules would just change the reporting requirements.

Kyle11:00 a.m.As far as job opportunities, there are countless Oil service companies in OKC. Baker Hughes is building their largest plant in NA land in north OKC.

Paul Monies11:01 a.m.OK, I think we'll stop there.

Paul Monies11:01 a.m.Thanks for joining us, everyone. We'll be back next month, at 10 a.m. May 13.

MORE FROM NEWSOK

by Adam Wilmoth

Energy Editor

Adam Wilmoth returned to The Oklahoman as energy editor in 2012 after working for four years in public relations. He previously spent seven years as a business reporter at The Oklahoman, including five years covering the state's energy sector....

Paul Monies is an energy reporter for The Oklahoman. He has worked at newspapers in Texas and Missouri and most recently was a data journalist for USA Today in the Washington D.C. area. Monies also spent nine years as a business reporter and...